RSYNC is a utility software in Unix systems which synchronizes files and directories from one location to another while minimizing data transfer using delta encoding when appropriate. On occasions, you might encounter the error: “rsync: mkdir operation failed”, which usually occurs when the rsync command attempts to create a directory on the receiver’s end and fails.
There could be multiple reasons for this issue, such as lack of proper authorization to create directories, issues with the filepath, or even insufficiency of disk space on the receiver’s end.
One of the most common solutions in such a case is to check and modify the permissions on the receiver end to ensure the user running the `rsync` command has the necessary permissions to create directories. This can generally be done by using chmod or chown commands to modify the file permissions.
The syntax for modifying permissions using chmod is: `chmod [permissions] [directory]`.
For example: `chmod 755 /path/to/directory`.
This command assigns read, write, execute permission to the user, and read and execute permission to the group and others.
In case of using chown, the syntax is: `chown [owner]:[group] [directory]`.
For example: `chown user:group /path/to/file`.
The user running the rsync would have to be part of the group or the owner of the directory for the mkdir operation to function properly.
Another probable cause of this error could be a nonexistent parent directory on the receiving side. You need to ensure that the filepath you are trying to sync to actually exists. If it doesn’t, you may need to manually create the parent directory using the `mkdir` command.
In some cases, the error could be a result of insufficient disk space on the receiver’s end. Use the `df -h` command to check for available disk space. If there’s not enough disk space, you will need to free some up.
Remember, it is always a good practice to try running the rsync command in verbose or dry-run mode initially. This can help you detect and diagnose issues before the actual synchronization operation.
In conclusion, resolving the “rsync: mkdir operation failed” error will largely depend on the specific cause of the error, which could vary from case to case. It is also advised to refer to the official rsync manual for more detailed instructions.
References:
- Rsync Manual: https://download.samba.org/pub/rsync/rsync.html
- Chmod/Chown: https://www.linux.com/training-tutorials/linux-file-permissions-explained/
- Mkdir Command: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/mkdir-command-in-linux-with-examples/
- Disk Space Check: https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/how-do-i-find-out-disk-space-utilization-under-linux/
